WHAT
Supplements are a way to get the micro-nutrients your body needs that you aren't getting from nature or food. They support your enzymes and biochemical reactions in your body and help to balance deficiencies you may have. Supplements usually come in pill, powder, or liquid form, containing vitamins, minerals, or herbal compounds.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
If the only toxins we were exposed to came from nature, then we could heal ourselves with just food.
There are two main views on supplements: some believe you can get all the nutrients you need from food, others believe you need to supplement to achieve optimal health. The ideal is definitely that we can all be super healthy and get everything our bodies need to thrive through nature and our diet, but that’s not the reality.
Approximately 75% of Americans are low in Zinc, 70% are low in vitamin E, 56% are low in magnesium, and 40% are low in Vitamin C and Iron. These are some basic necessary micro-nutrients for general health.
We live in a world creating a high stress response to our bodies with lack of sunlight exposure, inadequate sleep and movement, over exposure to electromagnetic frequency's, computer/phone light, chemicals in household and beauty products, petroleum and plastic products, poor farming and food manufacturing practices, and contaminated or over filtered water. Woah, there's a lot in our environment that our bodies are fighting against. Supplements are meant to help out in this fight.
By supplementing and balancing deficiencies in your body you can feel better, increase memory and focus, have more energy, combat any chronic health conditions, and prevent potential diseases. The micro-nutrients our bodies need keep our immune system going, reduce inflammation, protect against free radicals, help with hormonal balance, slow cellular aging, and can protect against some cancers.
For most of my twenties I believed I could get the nutrients I needed from the food I was eating, which included lots of diverse vegetables and fruits. I intuitively thought what I needed, nature could provide me, which is the ideal. I came to a point where I consistently felt sick and very tired. I went to a doctor who lucky requested that I get some blood work done and I found out I was very low in many vitamins and minerals necessary for regular body functioning. When I began to supplement these vitamins and minerals into my daily routine I felt like a new human.
The extended cut: A little more about why its hard to get all your nutrients from food. Our farming practices have greatly shifted. Plants are grown in nutrient depleted soil, treated with pesticides, and grown for bulk, not quality. Many veggies and fruits have been altered through our agricultural practices to produce more or withstand environments, but this has led to less nutrients in the produce. Animals are also fed a poor diet, given anti-biotics (healthy gut biomes are important for animals too!) and kept in stressful environments which affects the quality and nutrients in meat. But don't worry too much, I promise there is hope!
HOW TO IMPLEMENT
Step 1: Even though it can be hard to get everything you need from food, you should try. Try to eat a nutrient dense, veggie/fruit filled diet, with healthy fats, and quality meat (if that is your thing)
Step 2: Multi-vitamins? You might be thinking, great, I will go buy a multi-vitamin and take that daily. Some clinicians say that’s an okay start, others say that’s not enough. If you don’t want to invest in getting lab tests and want to take a multi-vitamin, do your research on the products, avoid any multi-vitamins that mega dose, which leads to…
Step 3: Do your own research on brands. Please don’t skip this. Supplements aren't well regulated so you reeeeally do need to take a few minutes and look into some brands before heading to the store or online. I have recommended some 3rd party labs that give you results on the quality of supplements ensuring you're getting what you pay for and let you know what supplements may contain heavy metals or additives. I have also included some brands I have looked into that I trust. Take 5 mins and check them out below!
Step 4: Get tested. I know, this can be the annoying part. I have to do more? Can't you just tell me what I need? Well, everyone is different and without tests you could be taking something you don’t need (wasting money) and/or doing harm to your body by taking too much of something. There are some recommended tests below.
Step 5: Ok, ok, I will mention one supplement here. The most recommended supplement in research and from doctors is Vitamin D. This helps with the overall functioning of your body, organs, bones, muscles, and immune system. Pretty important. A Harvard study shows healthy adults need at least 1,000 IU daily, I take 5,000 IU. Make sure to take it with some healthy fats in your breakfast.
Most people do need Vitamin D, K, C, A, B12, Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, and Fish Oil (DHA). In upcoming posts I will break down all sorts of vitamins, minerals, and other supplements explaining their functions and the most bioavailable way to take them.
I WANT MORE
:: No BS Trusted Products ::
- Bulletproof - This is a trusted brand, backed by research, with only bioavailble nutrients, and very high quality ingredients with no fillers. Many of my supplements are this brand. However, it helps if you know what you are looking for as there are a lot of options that can easily overwhelm you.
- Ritual - They have a quality multi-vitamin type pack that has bioavailable ingredients in the recommended doses.
- Care Of -
If you want a little more personalized but not ready for blood work, Care Of has your back. They have a quiz to understand your health, lifestyle, and health goals and then provide you with recommended supplements. The company cares about the quality of ingredients and has a wide variety of products.
- HUM Nutrition -
This company also has a great online quiz to help you navigate your supplement needs and they give you access to ask their nutritionist any questions you may have. Really cool feature! Their supplements are geared toward specific needs with cute packaging. The ingredients are of quality and backed by science.
:: 3rd Party Labs ::
- Labdoor -
This is a really cool company that tests supplements and provides a rating. They test to make sure the active ingredients on the label are actually what is in the product and check for contaminants. This is not necessarily telling you what the best supplement is, but telling you that the label is accurate and the ingredients are safe. It doesn’t account for bioavailability (if its really absorbed in the body), but it's good to know what supplements are not reporting their ingredients correctly or contain toxic elements.
- Consumer Lab -
This is another great resource. It’s a little less user friendly and requires you to become a member to review the reports, but contains detail information on the quality and safety of products.
:: Personalized Micro-nutrient Tests ::
They have many tests you can take including a nutritional test that checks 31 vitamin, minerals, amino/fatty acids, antioxidants, and metabolites. This is the most well rounded micro-nutrient test I have found. You will need to go to a lab to get a blood draw, but the information you get is invaluable. This is a test doctors use and may be covered by your insurance. View a sample report
- Arivale -
A comprehensive testing and health coaching company for overall health. This is not cheap but if you're looking to take control of your health and make an investment this is a reliable way.
:: More Resources ::
Nutrient Deficiencies Chart - A user friendly chart explaining nutrients and symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. If any of these symptoms ring true to you reach out to your doctor and/or get lab tests done.
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